Surface active compositions



Patented Jan. 20, 194 8 v v I l I .um'rao STATES, PATENT ornca SURFACEACTIVE COMPOSITIONS Mariana Buis,. Whitby, and Dillwyn Morgan Samuel,Chester, England, assignors to Shell Development Company, San Francisco,Calif a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application August a, 1944,Serial No. 547,992. In Great Britain August 19, 1948 8 Claims. (Cl.252-453) This invention relates to surface active comis reached,whereafter the addition of further positions. salt produces a lesssatisfactory result. This It has been found that when solutions of theeflect is shown by way of example with reference alkali metal salts ofsulphuric acid esters of prito a particular detergent containing 21% ofsodimary, secondary or tertiary alcohols having from um salts ofsulphuric acid esters of secondary 8 to 20 carbon atoms in the moleculeare prealcohols having from 10 to 18 carbon atoms in pared, there is atendency for gels to be formed, the molecule, prepared by the sulphationof a particularly at low temperatures. mixture ofoleflnes containingfrom 10 to 18 car- It has been proposed to overcome this disadbon atomsin the molecule and 7.6 of inorganic vantage by the addition ofsulphamlc acid derivl0 salts, mostly sodium sulphate, the remainderbeatives such as ammonium sulphamate, and on ing water, in the followingTables I and II, in

examining this proposal we have found that the which 'the aforesaiddetergent is referred to as use of ammonium sulphamate is relativelysatisester Salts. Solution Table II 8180 h w h factory, advantage of theinvention over the use of am- It is an object of the present inventionto promonium sulphamate.

vide an addition which will overcome the aforer said disadvantage, butwhich will be effective in I lower concentrations, and will be cheaperand Efiect of ammonium chloride on relation of more readily accessiblethan ammonium sulphester salts amate. 20

With this object in view the present invention coho. omntci m providessurface active compositions comprising v alkali metal salts of sulphuricsemesters of pri- Poicent an- AP gag 'g gfg i g 6 days mary, secondaryor tertiary alcohols having from gggggg ggg f f 8 to 20 carbon atoms inthe molecule (hereinafter solution referred to as deterg'ents"), waterand a small proportion of one or more sulphates, chlorides, Nil NilGelled completely. thiocyanates, nitrates, phosphates, citrates, car-8:: 3' 5 325 present bonates or carbamates of ammonia or of a. sub- 0.9'0. 11 Perfectly "leer.

stituted ammonia such as triethanolamine or or 3 3}}, gg gggg gmagnesium. 3. 5 v 0. 66 Turbid and some'curd pre ent.

It should be understood that the alkali metal gg ggra l mqggg ggg agsalts or the sulphuric acid esters may contain several days. otherinorganic salts such as sodium sulphate or sodium chloride. Such saltsare often present TABLE II owing to the method of preparation of thealkali metal salts of the sulphuric acid esters but their optimumconcentration of various ammonium presence is not essential. saltsPreferably the salt of ammonia or of a substi- 4o f O tuted ammonia orof magnesiumis employed in a proportion of 0.05 to 0.5 gm.-mol of theanhy- Belt it??? 3?" l l ggll drous salt per litre of the composition,and the x53 ggfgga salts which we prefer to use are ammonium chloride,ammonium sulphate and diammonium hy- Nmsmphamte 40 M5 drogen phosphate.NmoNs... 22 0.28

It will be understood that the sulphuric acid g-f; esters may be usedsingly but in general mixtures '10 0113 will be used, for example thesulphuric acid esters 23 11 of mixtures of alcohols. within the range of8 to 20 carbon atoms in the molecule. 60 We claim:

It is found that for each salt there is an optl 1. A substantiallynon-gelling surface active mum concentration; that is to say, for anyparcomposition comprising an aqueous solution of an ticular detergentthe addition of gradually inalkali metal salt of a sulfuric acid esterof an creasing amounts of the salt results in more satalcohol havingfrom 8 to 20 carbon atoms in the isfactory prevention of gelation untilamaximum 55 molecule, which solution tends to form gels, to-

aasaeea gether with an amount between 1.27% and 12.7% by weight. basedupon the amount of said sulfuric acid ester salt, of a water solublesalt selected from the group consisting of sulfates, chlorides,thiccyanates, nitrates, phosphates, carbonates and carbamates ofammonia, sufficient to substantially prevent gelation of said solution.

2. A substantially non-gelling surface active composition comprising anaqueous solution of an alkali metal salt of a sulfuric acid ester ofaprimary alcohol having from 8 to 20 carbon atoms in the molecule, whichsolution tends to form gels, together with an amount between 1.27% and12.7% by weight, based upon the amount of said sulfuric acid ester salt,of a water soluble salt selected from the group consisting of sulfates;chlorides, thiocyanates, nitrates, phosphates, carbonates and carbamatesof ammonia, sufilcient to substantially prevent gelation of saidsolution.

3. A substantially non-gelling surface active composition comprising aconcentrated aqueous solution of an alkali metal salt of a sulfuric acidester of a secondary alcohol having from 8 to 20 carbon atoms in themolecule, which solution tends to form gels, together with an amountbetween 0.05 and 0.5 gm.-mol (calculated as anhydrous salt) per liter ofsoluti of a water soluble salt selected from the group consisting ofsulfates, chlorides, thiocyanates, nitrates, phosphates, carbonates andcarbamates of ammonia,

suflicient to substantially prevent gelation of said solution.

4. A substantially non-gelling surface active composition comprising aconcentrated aqueous solution of an alkali metal salt of a sulfuric acidester of an alcohol having from 8 to 20 carbon atoms in the molecule,which solution tends to form gels, together with an amount between 0.05and 0.5 gm.-rnol (calculated as anhydrous salt) per liter of solution,of a water soluble salt selected from the group consisting of sulfates,chlorides, thiocyanates, nitrates, phosphates, carbonates and carbamatesof ammonia, suificient to substantially prevent gelation of saidsolution.

5. A substantially non-gelling surface active composition comprising anaqueous solution of an alkali metal salt of a sulfuric acid ester of analcohol having from 8 to 20 carbon atoms in the molecule, which solutiontends to form gels, to-

gether with an amount between 2.86% and 5.7%, by weight based upon theamount of said sulfuric acid ester salt, of ammonium chloride,sufficient to prevent gelation of the composition.

6. A substantially non-gelling surface active composition comprising anaqueous solution of an alkali metal salt'ofa sulfuric acid ester of analcohol having from 8 to 20 carbon atoms in the molecule of about 21%concentration, which solution tends to form gels, togetherwith about 9grams per liter of said solution of ammonium chloride to substantiallyprevent gelation of the composition.

7. A substantially non-gelling surface active composition comprising anaqueous solution of an alkali metal salt of a sulfuric acid ester of analcohol having from 8 to 20 carbon atoms in the molecule of about 21%concentration, which solution tends to form gels, together with about 10grams per liter of said solution of amonium sulfate to substantiallyprevent gelation of the composition. I

8. A substantialh! non-gelling surface active composition comprising anaqueous solution of an alkali metal salt of a sulfuric acid ester of 'analcohol having from 8 to 20 carbon atoms in the molecule, which solutiontends to form gels, together with an amount between 1.27% and 12.7%, byweight based upon the amount of said sulfuric acid ester salt, ofammonium sulfate, suflicient to prevent gelation of the composition.

MARINUS BUIS. DILLWYN MORGAN SAMUEL.

REFERENCES crr n The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

